Improvement in railway car-brakes



C H. LTHROP.

improvement-in Railroad Car Brakes.

Patented Dec. 26,1871.

UNTTED STATES T N ErTcE.'

cHANoY E. LATHROP, or JEEsEY ciTr, NEwliEEsEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY CAR-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,264, dated December 26, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GHANCY H. LATHROP, of Jersey City, in the county of' Hudson and State of' New Jersey, have invented a new and useful tion of its tender or next-adjacent vehicle coupled to it with my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2is alongitudinal vertical section of the same at the line a' zo in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

Referring' to the accompanying drawing, A represents the rear portion of the lower frame of' a locomotive-engine, and B B its one pair of wheels, which should be connected by one and the same axle, although not here so represented. B is the bed or lower frame of the tender, and C C its wheels. 'D D are the usual link-couplings with which, and buffers, the several vehicles of the train may be provided as ordinarily. E represen ts the primary section of a drivin g-brake shaft. Said shaft section is arranged to lie in direction of the length of the train on one side ot' its center, and forms a portion of a continuous line of' shaftin g, arranged in sections, to run throughout the length of the train or 4any number of its cars, and of which E is the section carried bythe ten der, the several cars being similarly provided with alike shaft section to E. Fitted to the ends of Vthese shaft sections E and to the outer end of the primary section E, are universal couplings, F F, which may be constructed in any suitable manner so that they have a ball-andsocket motion, and 'serve to receive within them short detachable end bars or shaft connections G, Inade square or angular in' their transverse section, so as to turn in common with the shaft sections E Ef, but not restrained longitudinally by the couplings which they fit. In this way, or by these means, I am enabled to build up a continuous line of shafting throughout the train in a rapid manner by simply slipping a loose end bar, G, into the one coupling F, and running or guiding it into the opposite coupling of the adjacent car or vehicle. A like facility is alforded for breaking the connection when taking olf a c ar or cars; and the continuous line of shafting when established throughout the train, in no way restricts the free movement of the cars as provided f'or by their link couplings D D, inasmuch as theA universal couplings F F, and the loose fit of the longitudinal bars G, as represented in Fig. 2 of the drawing, does not tie or bind the cars together y in any direction. By means of this continuous line of shaf'ting, as formed by the independent shaft sections E E', universal couplings F F, and

loose end bars or shaft-connections G, power applied to the primary shaft section E is commu.- nicated throughout the whole line of shafting, and, by suitablemechanism connected therewith, transferred to the brakes. Thenecessary power to work such shafting may be communicated by means of' friction-wheels or bevel-gear direct from the locomotive, but it is preferred to employ a separate, sm all, and independent engine for such purpose, so as to give complete control over said brake-shaft or shafting at all times, both when the locomotive is running and when it is at rest. Areversible or double-rotary engine bolted to the under side of' the locomotive-frame-would be an advantageous device or arrangement for the purpose. l

To provide for reversing the position of the locomotive and tender relatively to the end ofthe car, or train of cars or trucks with which the tender connects, a counter or supplementary-shaft section, E2, having a universal coupling', F2, for reception of' an end bar or shaft-connection, G, is fitted to the. rear end of the tender on the oppesite side of itslongitudinal center to the shaft section E1, and power communicated by a pitched chain, I, and pulleys J J, or otherwise, from the last-nam ed section to the shaft section E2, so that pro vision is made f'or establishing connection with the lineA of shafting throughout the cars when said shafting occupies either aright or left-handed position, according to the end of the car or train with which the tender connects. Such supplementary shaft section E2, however, is only necessary on the tender, as the cars do not need to be reversed. The brakerubbers or shoes K K are forced toward or from the wheels to which they respectively belong according to the direction in which the continuous line or shafting E El throughout the train is made to rotate. The intermediate means for thus putting on or off the brakes may be as follows Each shaft section E1 is formed With a screw, M, on it. This screw, accordingly as it is rotated to the right or to the left, moves a sliding nut lor cross-bar, N, toward the one or other end of the vehicle, and in so doing sets in motion a lever, O, With which it is connected, and which is attached by rodsb b'to the beams P P that carry the brake-shoes. The nut or cross-barN slides on and is guided by stationary rods 0 c, which have springs d d on them to keep the nut up to the screw after it has been workedeoff the latter, and to retain it in position for re-establishing hold of the screw on it again by reversing the rotation of the screw. After the screw M has Worked the nut N to the full eX- tent of its movement in either direction, the continued rotation of the shaft El in the same d- Witnesses FRED. HAYNEs, R. E. RABEAU. n (122) 

